Asuna and Kirito's AfterStory Vol 1

The Time Has Come

Months passed and it was presently near the end of September, and Kazuto was helping Asuna lie down in bed. She was almost 8 months pregnant, and her plump belly was rounder than ever. He still often teased her about it, to which she would usually pout before giggling. Her due date was not until late October, but Kazuto was considering taking a break from work for a little while. Every day he went in, he was notably more and more jittery with a nervous excitement and an overall eagerness to return home to Asuna.

Their most recent visit to the doctor, Nurse Aki, had assured the couple that everything was fine with the baby and that it was due in several weeks. It was the happiest and yet most nerve-wracking time in Kazuto's life.

"You don't have to dote on me so much..." Asuna pouted as he presently helped her lie down on her back.

"Of course I do." He scolded playfully as he fluffed her pillow. "What kind of a husband would I be if I didn't dote?" Although he was now 24 years old, and Asuna 25, it felt as if they were still teenagers sometimes. He reached down and gently ran his fingers through her hair, a habit he had never let go of, and she sighed happily and closed her eyes.

As Kazuto got into bed beside her and turned off the light, he kissed her goodnight before settling down and burying his face in his pillow, his right palm firmly holding her left as she too drifted off.

The previous evening, after his return home from work, Asuna had absolutely no appetite, which made him far too concerned to eat much of his own meal. Evidently, she had not eaten all day either, whereas up until that point, she had a fairly constant appetite. Therefore, he had felt that it was almost... too easy. Her pregnancy had gone too smoothly thus far; no issues whatsoever, no major changes in Asuna's behavior, and no arguments or spats between them over any matter, trivial or massive.

Later that night, Asuna had broken out into a cold sweat as she suffered from sharp pains, and Kazuto immediately rushed her to the hospital. He knew it was still weeks too early for the baby to arrive and the panic he had experienced at that time would have been powerful enough to shatter a mountain. Thankfully Yui was sleeping over at Midoris so he didn't have to worry about her.

Once Asuna had been put into her room and examined, Doctor Aki informed Kazuto that it had only been a bout of false contractions. Kazuto had insisted that Asuna stay the night, partially in hopes that Doctor Aki would disagree and say, "No, she's fine, she can come home tonight." However, Aki ended up agreeing with him that Asuna should stay the night "just to be safe". Although she had said it with a small smile, there was something about the way she said it that made him suspect she was hiding some bit of information she did not want to share with him.
When he was forced to leave that night, he insisted to the nurses that he should stay, but for some unknown reason, they still sent him home.

He kissed Asuna for a long moment before parting with her, promising to rush back to her tomorrow. "No, I'll be fine. You should go to work tomorrow. I'll be here until your day is over and then, if Aki says it's okay, you can drive me home then." There was a calming reassurance in her slightly tired eyes, and Kazuto could do nothing but comply.

That day was a cold one, and he felt that the unusually chilled temperature for the last day of September was a harbinger of some sort. He took Yui to school and went to work, an hour later his fears proved true as his boss suddenly called his name and rushed up to Kazuto's desk.

"Kazuto! We just got a call from the hospital." He was obviously fighting to control his voice. "You need to go see Asuna right away." Before the man had even finished speaking, Kazuto was on his feet, as if he had been expecting and waiting for the signal to rush out. Taking nothing but his car keys with him, he ran out of the office faster than he had ever run before. As he was driving to the hospital he called his aunt and told her to tell everyone to meet at the hospital.